When Is Roto-Rooter Busiest? The Day After Thanksgiving. Here’s Why.
It’s no coincidence that garbage disposals often break on Thanksgiving Day—or that the day after is Roto-Rooter’s busiest of the year. Poultry skin, potato peels, rice, celery, fats, and pumpkin pulp are clog culprits; it’s better to toss them in the garbage or compost what you can.
Liquid grease solidifies when it cools, coating and clogging pipes. Collect grease in a jar and throw it away. In most cases if the disposal is broken and clogged, the sink won’t drain easily. So reach for a small hand-crank plumbing snake to push debris into the branch drain line, or try a plunger (accordion-style ones worked best in Consumer Reports’ past tests). Cans of pressurized gas, sold at home centers and online, worked even better.
For a double sink, put a drain cover over the drain you’re not plunging to allow the pressure you’re creating to work. Drain cleaner should be the last resort, and if it doesn’t do the trick, let a plumber know that it’s in the line so that he can protect himself against its caustic lye.
To avoid hanging out with your plumber this holiday weekend, consider these clog-preventing tips from Roto-Rooter:
• Don’t put fats or cooking oils down drains.
• Do remove grease from pans with paper towels then toss.
• Don’t put stringy, fibrous, or starchy waste in your garbage disposal.
• Do make sure the disposal is running when you toss in food.
• Don’t wait until disposal is full to use it.
• Do ask weekend guests to wait 10 minutes between showers so slower drains have time to drain.
• Don’t flush cotton balls or swabs down the toilet. They cause clogs since they don’t dissolve.
And always ask your plumber if there’s an extra holiday service fee.
If you need a new garbage disposal, check our Ratings. Our past tests found some standouts. And in our toilet tests, we found some excellent models that resist clogging and still save water.
—Kimberly Janeway
Check Consumer Reports’ 2015 Holiday Guide for our picks of the best gifts, details on the latest deals, time-saving tips, and much more. And see our countdown calendar for top gift ideas for everyone on your list.
More from Consumer Reports:
The best matching washers and dryers
The best French-door refrigerators
Best places to buy large and small appliances
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.